Dante Alighieri, author of the Divine Comedy, is the subject of one of Italy’s circulating commemorative €2 coin of 2015.

The coin’s obverse will feature detail from illustrations of the Divine Comedy painted by Domenico di Michelino in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence.

Dante (also known as Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri) was born in Florence between May 22 and June 13, 1265. On the coin he holds an open book in his left hand. The mountain of Purgatory is seen behind him.

Various inscriptions identify the Italian Republic as the issuer and the Italian Mint as minter, as well as Silvia Petrassi as the artist who created the design.

The dual dates 1265 and 2015 mark the year of Dante’s birth and the year of issue for the commemorative coin.

The ringed-bimetallic coin has a copper-nickel core and copper-aluminum-nickel ring.

The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag. The common reverse shows a map of the European Union.

The coin weighs 8.5 grams and measures 25.75 millimeters in diameter.

A total of 3.5 million examples of the coin will be issued in July by the Instituto Poligrafico e Zecca Dello Stato, the Italian State Mint. 

To learn more about the coin, visit the Mint’s website.

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